INDIANAPOLIS – Thousands of Hoosier commercial ducks and chicken layers have been or will be destroyed as the most recent spate of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cases in Indiana continued last week.

As of press time, the Indiana State Board of Animal Health (BOAH) said more than 506,000 birds have been impacted since the most recent bird flu cases began in October, with more than 287,000 birds affected last week alone. The impacted poultry operations are in Elkhart and LaGrange counties in the northern part of the state.

Michigan has also had several cases of HPAI in October and November, with more than 316,000 commercial turkeys impacted as of press time, according to the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).

In Indiana, the Elkhart-LaGrange area is particularly dense in poultry farms, so concern was running high, Denise Derrer Spears, BOAH public information director, told Farm World in October. Several hundred poultry farms were impacted by the control areas and surveillance zones set up around the affected farms, she said.

Once HPAI is confirmed in Indiana, the operation involved is placed under quarantine, BOAH said. A control area of 6.2 miles and a surveillance zone of 12.4 miles are established. Birds at the affected farm are destroyed.

Since the current HPAI event began in February 2022 in Dubois County, Ind., more than 8.7 million commercial egg layers, ducks and turkeys have been destroyed in Indiana, APHIS said. The ongoing event is the largest animal health emergency in the nation’s history, BOAH said.

In October, Spears urged poultry producers to remain vigilant and to follow safety procedures. She said producers should evaluate their biosecurity practices for any weak points.